Champion, please stay!

Chapter 240, Section 238: Destroy the Three-Point Contest!
The elementary school student had a # on his head, and his teeth were almost bared, but he resisted the urge to use his head to attack Yi Shui's palm.

With hundreds of thousands of people at the scene and at least hundreds of millions watching on television, one cannot reveal one's violent side.

Pierce couldn't take it anymore and started yelling: "You don't need to guess, you're second! Just wait, in two minutes I'll break the record you just set!"

Granger, Nowitzki, and Curry all silently praised Pierce, proving he truly deserves the title of "the greatest player in the universe."

Billups sarcastically remarked, "You think you're Ray Allen? You don't even have a clear understanding of your own abilities, and your memory is terrible. Dirk is coming up next."

The sudden attack by the flounder piqued the interest of everyone present, who turned to look at Pierce with a sense of anticipation.

Yi Shui had heard rumors about the two's strained relationship for a long time.

It is said that the earliest instance was in 98, after Pierce was drafted by the Celtics, he was harassed by the Los Angeles media, who asked him if he would be traded after playing in Boston for a short time like Billups. Pierce, who has always been a big mouth, replied, "I'm not like that bust."

The most recent conflict between the two occurred on the court during the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals, when the Pistons and Celtics fought a fierce battle. The two teams committed nearly 300 fouls in total over the six games, with both teams committing more than 30 fouls in Game 6. Every game felt like a fight.

Moreover, the two teams performed similarly that year, with the first four games tied 2-2. The Celtics narrowly won Game 5 and Game 6, winning by 4 and 8 points respectively, with a very small gap between them.

In that series, Billups was undoubtedly the best player for the Pistons, while Ray Allen was the best player for the Celtics. Garnett and Pierce were defended quite badly by Rasheed Wallace and Prince.

In the most crucial Game 5, Ray Allen made 5 of 6 three-pointers and scored 16 points in the third quarter alone, leading his team to seal the victory and win the pivotal Game 5.

Billups was the first to mock Pierce for having "a lucky break".

However, Pierce's reaction was not as intense as Yi Shui had expected.

If it were anyone else present, Pierce would have immediately retorted with, "I'm the Finals MVP, what are you?"

But Billups also has the Finals MVP award.

Moreover, if you ask today's fans who has performed best in the playoffs since the beginning of the new century, who is it?

The top two choices were definitely the OK duo and Duncan, and the third, most people would choose Billups.

Billups is the player who has participated in the Conference Finals the most times since the beginning of the new century, more than Kobe or Shaq, from the 02-03 season to last season, without missing a single one!
Most importantly, their peak periods overlapped and they were both in the Eastern Conference. Ever since Billups joined the Pistons, he would go on a rampage every time he faced the Celtics, beating Pierce three or four times a year. This became a 'regular season classic' back then. Even in the 08 Eastern Conference Finals, Pierce was still outmatched by Billups and couldn't show any toughness.

Pierce paused for a few seconds, then blurted out, "I can't, I can't break the record, so can you?"

Billups shrugged: "I can't, but I don't brag."

These words left even the cameraman standing nearby stunned.

No wonder he's a rising genius who's been criticized as a flop for so many years. People always say Billups has a tough personality, but now it seems he's just thick-skinned!
Curry glanced furtively at Yi Shui, then turned his gaze back to Billups...

'Which of these two has thicker skin? Oh, right, Truth is pretty thick-skinned too. Wait, that soft power forward isn't thin-skinned either. He was upset in the first round of the MVP season and got so much criticism, but he still persevered and his skills kept improving…'

This has refreshed the basketball perspectives of elementary school students, it feels like opening the door to a new world.

As for Granger, his face alone exudes a powerful aura of intimidation, even without him saying a word, and Curry didn't speculate.

...

Seeing that the group had stopped arguing, the host picked up the microphone and announced that Nowitzki would be on stage.

More than 100,000 fans cheered wildly, with many shouting "Surpass the Emperor!"

Texas has a large population of descendants of German immigrants, and Dirk Nowitzki, a white German athlete, was particularly popular in the region.

However, after Nowitzki came on, he missed two shots in a row, scored one shot and then missed another, and finally scored a lucky shot, but only got 3 points on the first spot.

In the next four spots, Nowitzki's performance was neither particularly good nor bad, scoring 3-4 points on each. He spent 55 seconds throwing 25 balls, making 15 of them, including 2 of 5 money balls, for a total of 17 points.

The commentators expressed their regret for Nowitzki, because in the previous three-point contest where Nowitzki won the championship, he made all the shots from the first spot in both the preliminary and final rounds. That angle was Nowitzki's comfort zone. As a result, he shot the worst this time, only making two shots.

Based on the overall situation of the Three-Point Contest in previous years, 18 points is a dividing line in the preliminary round. If you score more than 18 points, you have a 70% chance of advancing to the final. Nowitzki was just one point short.

However, the commentators understood Nowitzki's poor performance, given that Yi Shui's performance as the first player to take the court was too exaggerated. In the more than 20-year history of the Three-Point Contest, very few players have been able to make more than 10 consecutive shots. Before tonight, only Kapono had accomplished this feat since the beginning of the new century.

The chants of "Surpass the Emperor" from the fans in the stadium must have put pressure on Nowitzki...

This year's All-Star Weekend saw the media be very friendly towards Nowitzki, given that it was hosted by the Mavericks and the region with the highest live viewership was Texas.

Curry, who came on next... also had an off night!
He only made 12 of 25 shots, scoring just 15 points!
This dismal performance was something that even Yi Shui, who was watching, hadn't expected.

He and Curry have practiced together several times, and Curry has practiced to the point where he can consistently make more than 20 shots, which is far below his expectations.

Then he remembered a report he had seen in his 'past life' about the Three-Point Contest. Curry's winning percentage in this contest was 2 out of 7, and he only won his first championship after the game time was changed from 60 seconds to 70 seconds... It seemed like he wasn't really suited for this kind of contest.

Curry's world collapsed once again, and the fans in the arena were shocked.

Nowitzki has 17 points; it seems he still has a chance to make it to the final!

When Billups came on, the fans started booing loudly.

Billups remained calm in the face of a barrage of boos.

Just like the 'scoundrel' he said to Pierce, he genuinely didn't think he could beat Yi Shui.

Making 21 out of 25 shots is outrageous!
He practices three-point shooting from a fixed position, and it's difficult for him to make 21 shots in one minute, let alone when he changes the angle of the shot every five times and the number of shots is not unlimited.

Perhaps it was this nonchalant attitude that allowed Billups to shoot 17 of 25 amidst a chorus of boos, including 3 of 5 money balls, for a total of 20 points!
Billups is likely to advance, Nowitzki's chances of advancing continue to decline, and Curry is out of the game again...

Pierce, who was next on the court, was very anxious.

His first two opponents scored very low, and he thought he was guaranteed to make it to the finals. But in the finals, the goal count was reset to zero, and they were facing each other again from the same starting line. He didn't believe that Yi Shui could get such high scores in two consecutive rounds.

But things are different now. Billups suddenly scored 20 points, and he needs to score more than 20 points to secure his advancement. Behind him is the defending champion, Granger, who is averaging 3 three-pointers per game this season!
When a person is in a hurry, they are prone to making mistakes. Pierce had just taken two shots at the first spot when he received a foul warning for stepping on the line. According to the rules, the game was restarted. He went from making two consecutive three-pointers after stepping on the line to missing four shots in a row at the start. The last money ball he made only scored two points!
In the last four attempts, Pierce's mentality clearly collapsed. He scored a total of nine goals, but missed all four of his lucky shots, resulting in a final score of 11 points.

Pierce is out of the running too!
Billups advanced early, and he and his teammates Anthony, Nene, and others on the sidelines burst into laughter.

Pierce was furious, but he had a strong mentality and stood on the sidelines with a straight face... Losing face was no big deal. He had boasted for ten years after entering the NBA and had been ridiculed and mocked for ten years. After winning the championship in 08, his reputation completely changed, so he didn't care.

Granger, who was the last to take the stage, looked completely different from the previous four contestants. He wasn't burdened by pressure like Nowitzki, nor was he as ambitious as Curry, nor was he as reckless as Billups, nor as impatient as Pierce.

He looked very calm and Granger was very steady when shooting, making 16 of 25 shots, including 3 of 5 money balls, for 19 points, defeating Nowitzki, Curry, and Pierce, and advancing to the finals along with Yi Shui and Billups!
This score is Granger's normal performance. Last year in the three-point contest, he also made 16 shots in the preliminary round, but he made one more money shot, scoring 20 points.

Most fans at the stadium were very disappointed with Nowitzki's elimination.

Finishing fourth in the preliminaries is just as disheartening as finishing ninth in the division during the regular season.

However, when Yi Shui entered the stadium again, the boos were much less frequent and almost negligible, and the vast majority of the more than 10 people in the stadium cheered!
He won over Texas fans with his performance in the preliminary rounds!
After the host shuffled the draw cards for the final, Billups stepped forward and said, "Brook, Danny, I won't draw. Can I go first?"

The host looked at the referee beside him, who said, "According to the rules, as long as they all agree, they can decide their own order of appearance."

Granger responded, "Chansi, you go first, and I'll go second, okay, BIG?"

Yi Shui did not answer, but turned around and walked to the sidelines to wait.

Billups and Granger both breathed a sigh of relief. If Yi Shui hadn't agreed, the pressure would have been immense if they had drawn the draw to play after Yi Shui!
They've made it to the finals, they definitely want to win the championship!
After advancing, they had the same idea as Pierce: the preliminary round scores don't count in the final round, and everyone starts from 0 points.

However, they were also worried about the possibility of something going wrong... In any case, it was definitely the right thing to do to go out and pitch first!

Billups kicked off the final with a great performance, and he was in really good form tonight, making 4 of 5 shots from the first shooting spot, including a money ball, for 5 points!
The second spot was a bit less impressive, with three regular shots going in. But at the top of the arc, he made five consecutive shots to score six points! However, at the left 45-degree angle, his weakest shooting area, he missed four shots in a row, only making the final fancy shot, bringing his score to 16 points.

From the left corner, Billups went 4 out of 5, including a money ball, for a total of 5 points, bringing his total to 21!
Billups was greeted with cheers from the fans in the stadium. In an interview with the host, he said, "I am very satisfied with my performance, which is one point higher than in the preliminary round."

The host didn't think Billups was just consoling himself. In previous years, as long as there weren't three-point contestants of the caliber of Kapono or Hodges, scoring 21 points in the final was usually enough to win the championship.

Granger was the second to enter the game, and he still maintained his calm and composed demeanor.

He nodded to the referee, heard the whistle, picked up the ball, and released it steadily...

In the final, Granger performed significantly better than in the preliminaries, making 4 out of 5 shots at the first 4 shooting spots, including all the money balls!
20 points!

Billups on the sidelines closed his eyes, feeling both distressed and relieved.

Thank goodness he was the first to play! Otherwise, he might not have even received cheers for scoring 21 points!

The fans at the stadium were cheering wildly, as Granger was poised to equal the new record just set by Yi Shui!
Unfortunately, Granger reached the left corner, but his first shot missed, extinguishing any hope of equalizing the score.

However, the second, third, and fourth goals were then scored, and the fans in the stadium started cheering and screaming again. When Granger's last shot hit the rim and went out, the more than 100,000 fans in the stadium all let out a "Oh!" and everyone was disappointed.

Just one point away from equaling the previous record and becoming the second-highest scorer in the three-point contest.

Despite their disappointment, the fans didn't forget to cheer and applaud Granger.

However, before Granger could respond to the cheers of the fans, shouts of "Emperor" and "BIG" rang out from the crowd and quickly spread.

Granger clenched his fists, speechless and a little angry, but he didn't show his emotions on his face.

In an interview with the host, Granger said, "I'm very satisfied with my performance. This is the kind of performance I only have during training. I hope my performance can bring out the best in the best." He spoke with great confidence, making 19 of 25 shots, including 4 of 5 money balls, for 23 points. In the more than 20 years that the Three-Point Contest has been held, there may be 20 champions who didn't perform as well in the final.

Granger won the championship last year with only 22 points.

Amidst the cheers of the fans, Yi Shui came onto the field.

The difference in treatment became apparent when the host stopped Yi Shui as he walked towards the competition area for a pre-final interview.

"Brook, Chauncey, and Danny are all performing exceptionally well. Does that put pressure on you?"

Yi Shui didn't answer, but instead said "Thank you for your hard work" and continued walking towards the bottom right corner.

Granger, who had just stepped off the field, was furious, no matter how composed he was.

He stood on the sidelines with his hands on his hips, staring at Yi Shui. If he won, he would definitely give this guy a disdainful look!

Yi Shui went to the ball rack in the bottom right corner, picked up a ball and spun it around.

At this moment, he was under a lot of pressure. Billups scored 21 points, which he felt was pretty good. With his current three-point ability, thorough preparation, and the added boost of the 'Performer's' best shooting form, he was very confident that he could score more than 20 points.

But Granger's 23 points changed everything.

However, along with the pressure came excitement! And at this moment, Yi Shui's excitement far outweighed the pressure.

If his opponents score the same as in the preliminaries, only ten or twenty points at most, he would find it boring.

Yi Shui put the ball back on the rack and nodded to the referee.

The moment the starting whistle blew, he grabbed the ball, adjusted his position, and shot the first shot. Without pausing, he immediately grabbed the second ball and, following the excellent shooting feel from before, continued to shoot!

Judging from the shooting speed alone, it wasn't as fast as in the preliminaries, but after shooting all 5 balls, the time taken was actually 1 second shorter than in the preliminaries, only 7 seconds!

From catching the ball, to making the shooting motion, to jumping, to releasing the ball with force... the movements were much smoother than in the preliminary rounds!
Yi Shui made five consecutive shots from the first shooting spot, scoring a total of 6 points.

Granger, watching Yi Shui from the sidelines, quickly moved to the right 45-degree angle after seeing Yi Shui's fifth shot from the first spot. He adjusted his position and shot, and as soon as he landed, he grabbed the second ball. While he was still steadying himself, he had already assumed his shooting posture, jumped, and released the second shot...

Granger recalled the game he played against the Cavaliers in January, in which he hit seven consecutive three-pointers in the second half, making every shot as soon as he got the ball and leading his team to a 117-110 comeback victory against the Cavaliers... He had watched the video of that game many times, and the Yi Shui in front of him was just like him in the video, with perfect shooting rhythm.

Is this guy only now getting into the zone?
Seeing that Yi Shui had also made five consecutive shots from the second shooting spot, and with three more shooting spots to go, Granger felt that there was no hope left.

That's incredible! So fast and accurate!
The fans at the scene went wild, and the cheers grew louder and louder after Yi Shui made all his shots from the first shooting spot.

When all five spots on the top arc of the Yishui Bridge were filled, some fans started chanting "20," and the chant quickly spread. Some people knew that Craig Hodges held the record for consecutive three-pointers made in the three-point contest with 19, while others did not. Anyway, they just joined in the chanting.

Yi Shui arrived at the left 45-degree angle and saw that there were still 34 seconds left on the countdown. He didn't rush, but fiddled with the ball a few times and dribbled it. When 30 seconds were up, he raised his hand and gently jumped up to shoot a three-pointer... The ball had just fallen into the basket when he caught it and shot his second shot...

The run continues!

After scoring four consecutive baskets, Yi Shui, who had already grabbed the ball, raised his hand and threw it. He was in his 'best shooting form' when he released the ball, and he knew he had it in the first shot.

After landing, before the ball even entered the basket, he turned around and faced the five opponents who had somehow appeared on the sidelines, all with their hands on their hips.

With his upper arms tucked to his sides, he had just finished the three-part motion of tilting his head, shrugging his shoulders, and spreading his hands when the ball fell right into the basket!

The five men on the sidelines started swearing at each other. At that moment, even Granger couldn't hold back anymore and wanted to hit someone!

But this scene was truly amazing. He made 20 shots in a row, scoring 24 points to win the championship, without even taking the last shot!

After showing off, Yi Shui quickly moved to the bottom left corner. He threw the first three shots quickly, and his showing off didn't take too long. He still had plenty of time to throw the last shot.

Unfortunately, the left corner is indeed his least favorite shooting angle, and he didn't feel good on the first shot. But he didn't stop moving, landed, grabbed the ball, and adjusted the details of his shooting motion.

The ball hit the rim as he expected, and he took his second shot with the same determination... and it went in!
He scored his third goal, bringing his score to 26, equaling the new historical record he had just set in the preliminary round!

The fourth shot missed, and the fans in the stadium sighed in disappointment once again. But they immediately started cheering again. There was only one more shot left. If they made it, they would break the record again!
Yi Shui seemed unaffected by the missed shots. After missing the fourth shot, he immediately threw out the fifth one without waiting to see if it went in or not, and turned to walk towards the three-point contest championship trophy.

Hearing the sudden surge of cheers, he couldn't suppress the slight upturn of his lips.

Seeing this, the opponents on the sidelines once again unleashed a torrent of curses...

...

With 23 of 25 shots made, including all the money balls, Yi Shui scored 28 points, defeating Granger who scored 23 points, and lifted the Three-Point Contest trophy!
The atmosphere at the stadium was electric. While fans were looking forward to an exciting match, they never expected to witness two records broken in one night!
With a total score of 30 points, only two people in the history of the Three-Point Contest have scored 25 points. Kapono had not been able to break the record before, but only tied it. In the eyes of many people, 25 points is the limit of this competition.

As a result, Yi Shui scored 26 points right from the start, and then scored 28 points!
They raised the bar for the three-point contest by three levels!
After lifting the trophy, donating the prize money, and saying, "I hope next year's opponents will excite me just as much," he returned to the sidelines amidst the continuous cheers of the fans, shaking hands or hugging his teammates and players from other teams who came to watch the game.

After a while of commotion, Yi Shui sat down on the sidelines, and the host began introducing the participants of the dunk contest.

When the defending champion Nate Robinson was introduced, boos erupted from the crowd once again.

Why do I say "again"? Last year, Yi Shui also stayed at the venue to watch the slam dunk contest, and when his teammate, Little Potato, went on the court, he was also booed.

Because Nate Robinson's championship win in 06 was not only highly controversial, with Andre Iguodala declaring he would never compete again, but Robinson's dunking process was also very slow, taking three or four minutes and attempting more than ten times for each dunk. Although the dunks looked great when they were successful, they exhausted the fans.

The other contestants, Zeiss Budinger, DeMar DeRozan, and Shannon Brown, are all springy players, but Yi Shui had no recollection of their dunks and showed little interest.

He opened the system, and just as he was holding the cup, he received a mission!

"You have successfully won the NBA All-Star Three-Point Contest and you have already won the All-Star Rising Stars Challenge. The All-Star Weekend series of missions is now open."

"As the newly crowned champion of the Three-Point Contest, you will compete as the defending champion in the next All-Star Weekend. All-Star Weekend series mission: Three-Point Contest Destroyer is triggered."

Goal 1: Break the record for the most Three-Point Contest championships.

Objective 2: To force the NBA to change the rules of the Three-Point Contest to limit you with an absolutely dominant performance.

Reward: Targeted finishing move (skill).

Yi Shui was very interested in this new task, but even without the task, he still wanted to continue participating in the competition.

After his three-point shooting ability improved, the effect of the 'Performer' skill was incredibly satisfying to use. He had never experienced the feeling of absolute control over his shooting ability and performance in the two and a half years he had been playing basketball.

He really wants to one day practice his shooting to that level... keep honing his talent!

Since it's an 'All-Star Weekend series of missions,' will other events also have missions?
Next year, he can try participating in the skills challenge. If he loses, so be it; if he wins, that would be amazing! He loves the feeling of victory!
But what made him happiest tonight wasn't winning the championship or breaking records, but rather that he managed to get those fans to cheer wildly for him when most of them were booing him at the beginning!
Turning off the system, Yi Shui stood up and cheered for the players on the court with the players next to him. Although the dunks were just average, and Old Iron Craftsman could probably win the championship if he were ten years younger, he still had to give them face.

His support is, of course, for DeRozan, since Curry and Harden are there, and those two also support DeRozan.

Unfortunately, while DeRozan, Budinger, and Shannon Brown are all very agile, the 175cm tall "Little Potato" (Rozan's nickname) is even more agile.

Creativity is questionable; the little potato was already quite ridiculous, but those other people were even worse.

In the end, Nate Robinson won his third Slam Dunk Contest trophy.

...

After the game, Yi Shui didn't go out partying with Harden, DeRozan, Westbrook, and others; instead, he obediently returned to the resort hotel where his parents were staying.

During the season, there are very few opportunities to spend time with family, and in these few days, he had no intention of going out and fooling around.

Also, tomorrow is very busy. There's a roundtable interview in the morning, a sales event for "Emperor II" at noon, a charity event in the afternoon, and the All-Star Game in the evening. He's not as free as those guys in California.

Yi Shui gave his mother the first three-point contest championship trophy he won as a gift.

He knew his mother loved to 'show off in a low-key way,' so this gift couldn't be more suitable.

Because each meeting was spaced several months apart, Yi Shui could clearly sense the changes in her family members during this reunion.

Dad Yi Donglai is alright; he's still a bit old-fashioned, but he's not against spending money anymore.

My mom has changed quite a bit; she owns more and more designer brands now. I heard she even changed positions at the school; she's no longer a teacher but is now doing administrative work…

The next morning around 7 a.m., Yi Shui woke up feeling great after a good night's sleep. He hadn't been able to fall asleep by 11 p.m. for a long time since the start of the season.

After calling his agent to discuss the schedule, he got up, washed up, and prepared to leave.

I had just changed my clothes when the phone rang. It was Walsh calling.

After Yi Shui answered the phone and chatted for a few minutes, he sighed softly after hanging up. The deal had still happened, and he felt both happy and sad.

I took out my phone, scrolled through my contacts, dialed Curry's number, chatted for a few minutes, hung up, went out, and got to work!

At 10 a.m., the NBA official website updated a trade information.

With a large influx of top players from the 02 and 03 draft classes expected in this summer's free agency market, trade rumors and speculation have been rampant since the All-Star break. Most of these rumors are about weaker teams or average playoff teams trying to make room for the Celtics, and fans aren't particularly concerned about them.

But this deal is different; it involves a top-tier team!

The Knicks traded Al Harrington, along with two first-round picks in 2011 and 2013, to the Bobcats in exchange for Tyson Chandler!
(End of this chapter)